Adjustable rack.



W. 0. INAMI.

ADJUSTABLE RACK. 1

APPLICATION FILED MAR-3| I915.

Patented Feb. 20, 1917.

2 Sl' lEETS-SHEET I'.

0.,wAsmNcroN, n c

W. 0. INAMI.

ADJUSTABLE RACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. at, 1915.

1 1 6, 3 1L Patented Feb. 20, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mg mzmm Marsh's cu. Pnom u'rlw WAMHNCTON. u c.

WILLIAM O. INAMI, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ADJUSTABLE RACK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM O. INAMI, a subject of the Emperor of Japan,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Adjustable Rack, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention'relates to improvements in racks or reading rests forsupporting books and the like, or music, and resides in the provision ofa rack which may be easily and quickly attached to the arm of a chair orlike support and may be adjusted to suit the person sitting in thechair, so that the article supported on the rack will be inthe properposition.

Another object is to provide vertically adjustable rotatable means fordetachably securing the rack to a chair or the like.

A further object is to provide easily operable, reliable means tovertically adjustably and slidably support the rack upon the verticallyadjustable rotatable means, so as to provide a plurality of adjustments.

A still further object is to provide later ally adjustable means toclamp .a book or the like in open position on the rack, said means beingextensible to accommodate books of various sizes.

A yet further object is to provide a device of the above-mentionedcharacter which is of simple construction, is reliable and efficient inoperation and may be cheaply manufactured.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction andcombinations, and arrangements of parts as will be more fullyhereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved raok showing it attachedto a chair and supporting a book;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the rack removed froma chair; 7

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line 4-4: of Fig.2; and

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of my improved Specification of LettersPatent.

justecl position.

Patented Feb. 20, 1917..

Application filed March 31, 1915. Serial No. 18,263..

rack showing it mounted upon a stand constructed for supporting music.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, 1 designates as anentirety, means for vertically adjustably and slidably supporting thebook or other article supporting frame, said means compr1s1ng avertically adjustable rod 2 which is rotatvably and slidably mountedwithin a split A set screw 5 is carried by the split sleeve 3 andprovides means for tightening the sleeve 3 carried upon clamping means4.

sleeve upon the rod to hold the rod in ad- The clamping means 4comprises a U-shape frame 6 through one side of which is mounted atightening screw 7. A clamping plate 8 is carried on the inner end ofthe tighteningscrew 7 and is arranged to cooperate with a similar plate9 fixed to the inner face of the opposed side of the frame 6. Theseplates 8 and 9 may be provided with felt gripping surfaces to preventinjurv tothe article to which the clamp is attached.

A horizontal rack supporting rod 10 is extended at right angles to therod 2 and upon one end carries an elbow 11. Thelower end of the elbow isformed with a squared socket to receive the squared upper end of the rod2. By this arrangement the rod 10 is prevented turning relative to therod 2.

Mounted for sliding movement upon the rod 10 is means for verticallyadjustably supporting a skeleton book or other article supporting frame1 1. This means comprises a substantially upright plate 15 which has itslower end bent to form a substantially rectilinear sleeve 16. Thissleeve 16 is slidably mounted upon the rod 10, the rod being rectilinearin cross section. The inner face of the plate 15 is provided with aseries of rack teeth 17 and said plate engages with the rear face of oneof the frame members 18 of the frame 14. A guide 19 is mounted upon saidframe 1 1 and receives the plate 15. Guide fingers 20 are carried on thefree end of the plate 15 and slidably engage with the frame member 18. Aspring finger or catch 21 is secured upon the frame 14: and has one endarranged for engagement with the rack 7 elements 33 are secured uponsaid fastening teeth 17. This finger 2,1 is arranged so that disposedparallel to' the' bars bar 23 is provided' with an outwardly 'ex-V theframe 14 may be pushed upwardly freely but Will each with the teeth 7and holdthe framein adjusted. position. The finger isbowediiiitermediate its ends soras tojpro ject outwardly from the frame14 and permit of its being readilyhgrasped and pulled out ofengagementwitlrtheteetli 17f ;The frame 14 is substantiallyrectangularand comprises "substantially upright side bars 1. 22 and .b ottomandrtop bars. ,23 a and 24- r ends many suit able manner to the bars? 22.-Tl1er frame.

that are ecured at. their member 18 is seeuredito the bars'23' and 24centrally of; thetendsi'of'saidbars and is V extensible book or otherarticle clamping means. "This. means comprises elongated V,=plates'28and 29 that are laterally slidably secured upon a supportingplate 30; The

plate; 30 issecured'at its ends to the side bars 22-of the frame andbetween the bars 23 and 24. Longitudinal slots 31 are formed inthe'plate- 30 011 opposite sidesofthe centerof'said plate. 1 Rivets,screws or other suitable fastening elements 32 are inserted through "theplates 29 and extend through the slots 3 1. Washers onother suitablemembers 32 and prevent them from being pulled outofthe slots 31, saidelements 33 resting in engagement with the rear face of'the plate 30;The outer ends of the plates 28 and 29 are oifestas at 34 and pivotedtofsaid offset ends are book or other article clamping plates 35-. Theseplates 35 are relatively narrow and are pivoted each at one end to saidends 34. Pivoted upon the outer ends of the'plates 35' are extensibleclamping fingers '36, each of which comv to hold the book or articleinthe desired prises substantially parallel clamping por- -tions"37,which portions are spaced from 'one another. hen it is desired to hold abook orother article in open position upon the frame 14, both the plates35 and fingers '36 are turned inwardly i so as to bring the fingers 36in engagement with the leaves of the book or article upon the frame, so

- position.

Mounted upon the framel4 is means for latera'lly adjusting the book orotherar- 22. The lower position suitable to the v 28 and 29 and at theirupper ends have a common pivot'element 41 which is slidable in alongitudinal slot 42 formed in the frame member 18. The member 41 ispro- .vided-with a head to be grasped to effect theadju stment of theclamping means and "is constructed so that it cannot be accidentallypulled out of the slot 42. H

' In operation wheniit isdesired to hold 'a'book in open position uponthe frame 14, as shown in'Fig. 1 ofthe drawings, the plates 28 and 29carrying the clamping means35'and 36 are adjusted'to the properpositionby slidingfl'the element 41 in the slot 42 in theproperdirection and said clamping elements 35 an'd 36 are moved into clampingposition after the manner hereinbefore described. The clamping means 4provides for the ready and reliable clamping to a chair or like support,and means 1 supported by the clamping means 4 may beverticallyadjusted'and swung into the right position. By means of the plates 15and coeperating parts, the frame 14 may bej ertically adjusted {relativeto the bar 10 so as to bring the book or article supported-upon theframe; 14 into the proper person sitting in the chair.;IThe-frame 14 maybe slidably adjustedon the bar 10 and it will be seen that in View ofthe various adjustments permitted it may be moved into the position mostsuitable to the person or reader sitting in the 'chair.- With thisdevice a book'or other articlemay be supported without etting in the wayof the person sitting 1n the chair. I j

In practice I have' found that the form of 'myinv ention illustrated inthe drawings and referred'to 'in' the above description as the preferredembodiment is the most etlicient and practical, yet realizing that theconditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarilyvary, I' desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes inconstruction, proportion and arrangement of parts may-be resorted towhen required without" sacrificing any of the advantages of my inventionas set forth fin 1 the appended claim.

What I claim is:

Arack of the character described comprising an article supporting frame,a vertical rod,means to vertically adjustably and rotatably support saidrod, means to secure said last named means to a chair,ra supporting rodconnected with said rod and extending at; right: angles thereto,aaiplate siidable on said rod and extending upwardly therefrom andhaving rack teeth on one face thereof, means to slidably connect theframe with the plate, and a spring catch carried by said frame andengaging said rack teeth said spring catch being bowed outwardlyintermediate its ends.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 22d day of March, 1915.

WILLIAM O. INAMI.

In presence of GHAs. J. CHUNN,

MASAYASHI KAJIMA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

